Rod Dreher, editorialist for the Dallas Morning News, wrote a great piece on the “Mormon question” coming down on the obvious and entirely factual point that Mormons are NOT Christians.
He hakes some great points and I urge everyone to read this one. I couldn’t have said it better myself, either…
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Mormons aren’t Christians …
… and other thoughts on religion and politics sure to get your blood boiling
Herewith, my views on religion and the politics of the present moment, with something to offend just about everyone:
1. Mormons aren’t Christians. I don’t mean that as a criticism, only as a descriptive phrase. When Mormons claim Jesus Christ as their savior, there’s no reason to doubt their sincerity and good will, or even to deny that they are in some way followers of Christ. Yet Mormonism rejects foundational doctrines of traditional Christian orthodoxy, such that it is impossible to reconcile with normative Christianity.
2. Anyway, the Latter-day Saints church teaches that all other Christian churches are apostate. A heretic is someone who rejects one or more doctrines of religion, but an apostate is someone who has rejected the religion entirely. How is it, exactly, that you can get mad when people you regard as apostates consider you to be … apostate? How does that work?
3. Theologically, this is a big deal. But politically, so what? Mormons vote like Southern Baptists and come down on the same side of most issues of public morality like conservative Christians do. If you’re a socially conservative lawmaker, wouldn’t you rather have a Mormon in your legislative foxhole than a Kennedy-style cafeteria Catholic or progressive mainline Protestant? I’m no Romney fan, but is there really no meaningful political difference between Good-Mormon Mitt and Bad-Catholic Rudy, to say nothing of Liberal-Protestant Hillary?
4. There are plenty of good reasons for conservative Christians not to vote for Mr. Romney, but his religious beliefs are not among them. Do Christians want to be in the position of rejecting a candidate whose political views and moral values they agree with, solely because they don’t like his religion? On what grounds would they condemn secularists for rejecting Christian candidates?
5. “If Mitt Romney believes what Mormonism teaches, no telling what he’ll believe,” say more than a few conservative Christians. Oh? Non-Christians have to overlook the fact that Christian candidates profess to believe that God became man, was murdered and rose from the dead. They have to ignore the fact that some Christians believe that same God-man mysteriously appears as bread and wine under certain circumstances, and others believe that the universe was created in seven literal days. The content of a religion’s doctrinal teaching is not a reliable guide to the overall judgment of one of its adherents.
Read the rest here: http://www.dallasnews.com/
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1 user commented in " Mormons Aren’t Christians, Says Dallas News Columnist "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackI would just like to respond to the statement that Mormons believe other churches are apostates, people who have rejected the religion entirely.
We both recognize and appreciate other followers of Christ as Christ himself taught his apostles in Mark 9:38-40. The apostles forbade a certain man from casting out devils in the name of Christ since he was not a follower of Christ as they were. The lord advised them to forbid him not and further stated in Mark 9:40 “For he that is not against us is on our part”. Our current Prophet Gorden B. Hinckley continually states that that when people join our church he wants them to bring with them whatever truth and light they have found and we hope to add to it. We love and recognize those who follow Christ to the degree of knowledge they have in following him and his gospel.
We do not take offense in not being recognized as part of orthodox Christianity, but as fellow followers of Christ. We recognize that that some of our beliefs are not part of the generally accepted Christian beliefs, but they all have their foundations in the bible. We also believe and have faith in the same saving power of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We believe he lead a perfect life, suffered for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the Cross, and over came death through his resurrection three days later. Through his sacrifice and grace we shall be saved. We would only take offense in not being accepted as part of the community of believers in Christ.
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